


Once Upon An October

by CrazyAnimationChick



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst and Feels, F/M, Halloween, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-11-25 15:34:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20914415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrazyAnimationChick/pseuds/CrazyAnimationChick
Summary: It's been two years since Pitch Black was defeated. Now he's back and ready for revenge. He gathers allies, while the Man in the Moon chooses a new Guardian; the Spirit of Autumn and Halloween, Eve Hallows. Jack's intrigued, especially since he swears she reminds him of someone, but they start off rocky and she wants nothing to do with him. The last thing he wanted was to become a witch's enemy. The last thing he expected was the fall in love with her. Which is worse? War or love? And why, for the love of all things holy and wicked, does she look so familiar?





	1. Chapter 1

I sat alone on top of the old haunted mansion, watching as the stars met the sun as it rose in the horizon, marking the beginning of the day. I don't usually wake up before the sun does, but today is a special day. It's September 21st. The beginning of Autumn. My season. It's my responsibility to bring Autumn to the world. Mother Nature helps out too, of course. She helps the other Seasonals as well, which I find kind of funny since we were chosen to help her. But it's as she said, "Teamwork makes the dream work."

But not only am I a Seasonal spirit, I'm also a Holiday spirit as well. I am the Spirit of Autumn and the Spirit of Halloween. At least that's what I was told 322 years ago when the Man in the Moon gave me life. 

I remember waking up under a large willow tree, the sky dark and the moon full as it shone down on me between the drooping branches of the tree. Manny told me who I was and the things I'm supposed to do, but he never told me how to use my abilities. Thankfully he sent out Mother Nature and Grim Reaper, who taught me how to control some of my powers.

Mother Nature taught me how to control the elements and bring Autumn to the world, as well as showing me what plants and herbs to use for potions and spells, and Grim Reaper taught me how to send ghosts and newly dead souls to their destined afterlife using a scythe, which was later gifted to me. He even taught me how to summon spirits that are both still on Earth and have passed on into the next world.

When my training with them came to an end, I set off on my own to figure out the rest of my powers, which I eventually learned to do as the years went on. And during those years, I became more involved with my holiday, befriended many creatures, and made a home for us deep in the woods of Salem, Massachusetts. My haunted mansion is crawling with bats, rats, cats, owls, ravens, spiders, frogs, snakes, wolves, and a handful of ghosts. 

I wouldn't trade my home and family for anything. I love them with my entire being. I have everything I could ever wish for, and yet...I feel like something is missing and I don't know what.

"Oi," says a voice from beside me. "What are ye doin up here so early in the morning for, lassie?" 

I turn my head and see the head of Mary sticking through the ceiling of the old roof. She's an old Scottish woman who was the first ghost I had encountered that didn't want to move on into the next world. Her "unfinished business" was that she simply didn't want to leave. She was still lonely though and when we met I offered her to be my companion because...I was lonely too. I no longer had Mother Nature and Grim Reaper anymore.

Luckily for me, she accepted, and so did many other ghosts who we've come across. 

"Just taking some time for myself before I bring Autumn to the world," I answer and watch as she floats upward, exposing the rest of her body.

She sits next to me and says, "Ah yes, it's the beginning of Fall, isn't it? The season is all about change, and you know what needs to change around here?"

I raise a questioning eyebrow. "Um...no I do not. What needs to change?"

She grabs my shoulders and gives me a shake. "Your romantic loneliness, child! Don't you want a lover? Man, woman, someone in between or neither? It doesn't matter what they identify as, so long as they love you and you love them. You've been single all your immortal life and it's about time you changed that. There are plenty of teen ghosts who want to stay on earth. Plenty for you to choose from." 

There shouldn’t be plenty of teen ghosts at all. If they weren’t so fucking stupid with their underage drinking and driving, as well as texting and driving, and were kind to each other instead of pushing others to kill themselves, the teen ghost rate would go down for sure. Lots of teens move on into the next realm, but there are loads more who want to stay and try to experience the things they were looking forward to in life. All the things that they never got around to doing that keeps them grounded. And you know what happens? They don’t get to experience it _ all, _and it makes them want to stay even longer until they magically do.

It’s all just...sad. So incredibly sad.

I groan as I threw my head back. "Ugh Mary, if I want a lover, I'd go talk to Cupid, and since I haven't visited her, that means I'm not interested in...romance." Gross.

Mary snorts. "Even if you were interested, you despise Cupid. No matter how desperate you'd ever become, over anything, you'd never go to her."

I smirk at how right she is. "You know me so well."

It's not that I hate Cupid, it's just that she's way too bubbly and naive for my taste. It cracks me up that humans think she's a naked baby boy, when really she's a fully clothed, 15 year old girl. At least they got the wings right. Except hers are larger, fit for a teenager rather than a baby. 

But hey, I can't pick on her too much over that. Humans might not have her appearance correct, but at least they know her name. Humans see Dracula as the face of Halloween, which is something the vampire just loves to rub in my face whenever we see each other, and while they do have a close mascot of me, she's not exactly what I look like and my name is still unknown.

She has green skin, like I do, but she's old and warty and evil, which I am not. The Wicked Witch of the West. Now granted, there have been many portrayals of her since the Wizard of Oz came out, Elphaba from Wicked being my absolute favorite since she's the closest one I relate to, but it's still the fact that no human knows my real name.

I'm perfectly okay with them getting my appearance wrong so long as my name is known and while I know I could easily just ask Cupid and Patty and North and Bunny how they got their names known to the world, I'm too prideful.

It's not really a big deal anyway. You see, if humans know my name then there is a bigger chance of them believing in me, and if they believe in me then they'll be able to see me. Now, what makes this not a big deal is that I already have plenty of believers. They're just not humans. They're creatures of the "hidden world", such as vampires and werewolves and so forth.

But the thing about them is that they don't need to know my name or believe in me to see me. Magic sees Magic.

The only reason why I kind of want human believers is because I'm jealous of other spirits like me who have them. How come they get human believers, but I don't? What makes me so different from them? Why am I undeserving? That's not fair. I _ hate _injustice.

Plus, it'd be nice to have friends who I don't have to search for hours on end for. My paranormal friends are always on the move, never staying in just one place. Dracula, for example, has multiple places all over the world. Hell, it was him who gave me the mansion I live in now and have been calling home for centuries.

"Of course I know you so well," Mary says, not skipping a beat. "If I didn't, I'd be a shitty ghost grandma." I smile at this and was about to reply, but she continues. "And it's because I know you so well that I'm suggesting the idea of dating. Unless..." her eyes gleamed with mischief, "you're scared?"

I glare daggers at her and say, "Of course I'm not scared. That's ridiculous. I'm just busy, that's all."

Mary laughs, full heartedly, and it brings heat to my green face. "You're not busy all the time. Except now since it’s time for Autumn. Jesus Christ, girl, why can't you just admit that dating scares you?"

"Because it really doesn't scare me," I snap, defensively, and get to my feet. "I am the Spirit of Halloween, the night of frights. I do not get scared, especially over silly ideas like dating."

Mary rolls her eyes, which causes a small animalistic growl to rumble in the back of my throat. Ugh she is really getting on my nerves. All I wanted was peace before I get to work, but no. Even that was too much to ask. Thanks, _ Manny. _ Although, I bet you can’t hear me since you just love to _ ghost _me.

"Even the Boogeyman, Pitch Black, who brought fear to the world, ended up getting scared." Mary reminded me. "It's how the Guardians defeated him two years ago. You may have gone 3 centuries without ever being truly scared, but that does not mean you are immune to fear. Everyone, every single living thing, is afraid of something. Even the Boogeyman himself."

"Well," I pick up my broom, which was resting beside me a moment ago before I got to my feet, and position it horizontally in the air so it can levitate. "Good thing I'm not the Boogeyman."

The response is lame, but it was all I was able to come up with. A second later, I'm throwing my right leg over the broom and am straddling the ancient wood. I straighten my long, pointy hat, black as the shadows and covered with glittery lace in the pattern of a spider web. And last, I crack my neck and fingers. 

"Okay," I say when finished and salute a goodbye to Mary. "See ya later." I take off before she could reply to my face, but as I'm flying away on my broom, I hear her calling out to me.

"This conversation isn't over, Eve Hallows!" Oh shit. She used my full name. She’s literally _ dead _serious. Hehehe.

Without looking back at her, I wave, and smirk when her frustrated groan reaches my ears. The conversation may not be over, but for now it is and that's all that matters to me. 

Scoffing, I say to myself: "Dating. It's so fucking stupid."

I've been single for 322 years, and I'll gladly stay that way for the rest of my immortal life. Romance is too complicated and I am so not for that. Who in their right mind wants to get involved with complicated matters? Only idiots want that.

And I am no idiot.

I am Eve Hallows, the Spirit of Autumn and Halloween. I am a mischievous, cunning, and clever witch. I am a woman of power, both literally and figuratively. I am…

Free.


	2. Chapter 2

~Jack’s POV~

It’s been two years since Pitch’s defeat and the beginning of my Guardianship, and I gotta say...life has been good. Real good. _ Great! _ I finally have a family. I finally have people who care for me. I finally have an actual life. I’m living instead of existing and it’s _ great! _However, there is one thing that I don’t like, and it’s how fast my kids are growing up.

It’s only been two years, but a lot can change during that time. Jamie and his friends are all 12 years old now, growing taller, hairier, and their voices cracking. The hilarious process known as puberty, which is only going to get worse for them and more hilarious for me as their years into adulthood go on.

But that’s the thing...adulthood. Children stop believing way before they come adults. The usual age for when they stop believing is the age that they’re at now, but luckily none of them have stopped...yet. Bunny gives me hope that they’re all special. They’ve actually met the Guardians in person. They’ve seen us with their own eyes. How could they possibly forget and stop believing in us? 

That’s what Bunny said, and to be honest, he has a point. His words have helped me get by whenever I have my “Mom Moments”, the whole getting emotional because of how big my babies are getting. And yes, I actually do call them my babies. Secretly, of course, but I still do it nonetheless.

I’m actually on my way to visit them right now.

“If you get back late,” I hear North say as I fly past the large globe that sits in the center of his shop. “I am not going to help you get away from Phil’s wrath.”

North was sitting in a chair by the fire place near the control panel where he summons the Northern Lights to call the other Guardians, reading a book whose title was too small to read from the height that I’m at. North looks up from his book and looked at me with a sly smile. “Do I make myself clear, Jackson?”

I roll my eyes as I lower myself to the control panel railing. “You know I hate it when you use my full name.”

North closes his book and gets to his feet, chuckling. “No, your full name would be Jackson Overland Frost.”

“Hmm,” I say as I pace forward on the railing, leaving frosty footprints. “You do have a point, I suppose.”

“Just remember to close any door or window you use to get in,” North reminds me, “Phil and the other Yetis threw a big fit last time when you brought all that snow in.”

Grinning like the Cheshire Cat, I say: “Who says that snow came from outside?” I lift myself back up into the air, my grin never faltering. “I make no promises, but I’ll certainly try to get back before you lock up. Have fun!”

“Ha!” North laughs. “With that?”

“That’s the point of my joke,” I say, laughing too and take off.

Out of all the Guardians, North is the one who I’ve become the closest with. He’s like a dad to me. Grandpa more like. Bunny and Sandy are like my brothers/uncle, and Tooth is like my sister/aunt. We’re all one big family. I mostly stay with North since he offered me a room at the Pole, but sometimes when I need a break from the cold, I stay with the others. Bunny, while we are on much better terms than before, was the only one against me staying with him, but eventually my charm worked its magic on him.

I sometimes spend the night with Jamie and Sophie too. I love my believers equally, but sometimes I can’t help but favor Jamie and Sophie just a tad more. How could I not though? They’re family after all.

My niece and nephew.

No literally. I don’t see them as that. They really are my sister’s descendants. I’m their great-great-and so forth uncle.

My sister, Emily, apparently got busy when she came of age. And while I’d rather not think of my sister’s sex life, I am super glad she continued the family line. I didn’t live long enough to ever find love and start a family, but Emily did. I gave her that chance when I saved her life, which resulted in me becoming who I am now.

And I’d do it all over again. 

I actually didn’t find out about Jamie, Sophie, and I being related until last year when Jamie was doing a school project for school for his History class. They were doing Family Trees, and one day, when I caught him in the middle of working on it, I see an _ ancient _picture of Emily. Like good God, that picture is old as hell. I’m surprised it’s not dust yet.

Afterwards, I did my own research with North, for confirmation, and sure enough, it was all true. It took all my might not to cry in front of North...and Jamie. Ugh I’d rather cry in front of the old man than my nephew. I’d definitely look less cool if I cried in front of Jamie.

What’s funny is that Jamie actually did cry when I told him, which did not help me at all, but I think I kept it together pretty well. Sophie, while she was only three at the time, didn’t understand, so she didn’t shed any tears at all. She was all giggles and smiles. She’s four now, and in just one more year she’ll be starting school. I already told North I’m taking the day off to watch her on her very first day.

I need to keep bullies and boys away from her. She’ll probably become a loner like I was, but I think I turned out okay. She’ll be fine.

Bunny though...ha! I think he loves her more than anyone else does, including her own mother. He’ll _ definitely _cry when she starts Kindergarten. I already plan on recording it all. Most likely though, we’ll be crying together.

When I make it to Jamie’s backyard, I see him and his friends laying down on the ground doing one of the most boring things ever. Homework. I hope it’s not Math, and if so, then it looks like I’ll need to bring some fun into the equation. 

“What’s up, kiddos?” I shout from the air before landing on the roof of Jamie’s house. “Did you miss me?”

The kids all look up from their textbooks and jump to their feet in excitement at the sight of me. Even after two years, it still gives me butterflies in my stomach. Believers. After 300+ years, I finally have believers. I’ll never get used to saying that.

“Jack!” Says Pippa. “Thank goodness you’re here.”

“Yeah,” says Monty. “We have a very important question to ask you.”

I cock my head to the side. “Oh?” I drop down from the roof to the ground and swing my staff around my shoulders. “And what’s that?”

“Is there an Autumn Spirit?” Jamie and the others all say in unison.

I chuckle at their wonder. “Of course there is. There’s a spirit for all the seasons. What makes Eve the coolest one is that she’s also a Holiday Spirit. Like how North is connected with Christmas, and Bunny with Easter, Eve is connected with Halloween.”

All of their eyes became as wide as plates and their jaws drop, and all at once they say their responses:

“Oh my god that’s so cool!”~Cupcake

“Her name is Eve?!”~Monty

“There’s a Spirit of Halloween?!”~Klaud

“She’s a Season _ and _a Holiday?!”~Klaus

“What does she look like?!”~Pippa

“Have you meet her before?!”~Jamie

Laughing, I hold a hand out in defense and take a step back. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down you gremlins.” I set my staff aside and point at each kid so they’d know I was answering their question. “Yes, that is indeed very cool, Cupcake. Yes, Monty, her name is Eve. Eve Hallows actually. Yes, Klaud, there is a Halloween Spirit. Yes, Klaus, she is both a Season and Holiday. I have no idea what she looks like, Pippa, and that’s because, Jamie, I have not met her before. Not once in my entire life. I’ve only heard of her. Bunny and Tooth aren’t very fond of her, and that’s really saying something if _ Tooth _doesn’t like her.”

“Why is that?” says Monty.

“Bunny is jealous that she makes better candy than he does,” I reply, remembering the day, decades ago, when I came across him complaining about it. It was then that I actually found out about Eve. “And Tooth doesn’t like how sweet her candy is, which is why it’s better than Bunny’s, according to North. Tooth says that one piece of Eve’s candy can give one hell of a cavity. North says that it’s worth it, but Tooth is devastated when she receives rotten teeth on Halloween. What even brought her up?”

Jamie walks over to his fence where dead leaves, their age unknown, rested. He gives them a kick, sending the dead leaves spiraling in the air for a few seconds. “Because it’s the beginning of Autumn today! We realized we never asked before if there was a person in charge. We kind of just assumed.”

“So we wanted confirmation,” says Pippa as she makes her way over to her obvious crush. She picked up a pile of leaves and throws them in the air, twirling as they fell on her, which causes Jamie to go red in the face as he smiles fondly at her.

Oh they both got it bad. I wonder if they’re soul mates. I’ll have to ask Cupid about it next time I see her.

“Have you ever tried some of her candy before, Jack?” Klaus asks, gaining my attention.

I shake my head. “Nope. I want to, but I’ve never been at the right place at the right time. Before joining the Guardians, I’ve always just stolen candy from stores, and last year when I saw one of her helpers, a cute little bat, bring North his bucket, it was all gone within the hour.”

Cupcake laughs. “Sounds like me. So Santa didn’t share then?”

“No he did not,” I answer before ruffling her wild pixie cut hair. “Which isn’t very nice, is it? Very naughty actually.”

Klaud raises a hand to put me on pause. “So wait...you mean to tell me that the candy in those pumpkin buckets that we find in our rooms are Eve’s doing and _ not _our parents?”

“Most likely,” I say, shrugging. I’m not entirely sure since I don’t know how she works her holiday, but if she does it like Bunny and North, I’m sure she leaves them somewhat hidden so they can easily be found, like Bunny’s eggs and North’s presents.

“Ugh! I want to meet her so bad right now!” Jamie says as he and Pippa make their way back to us.

Chuckling, I say: “Uh oh. Do I need to be worried? Do I have competition?”

Jamie smiles as he rolls his eyes. “Haha no. If anything, I want you to meet her more. I mean think about it. The King of Fun and the Queen of Tricks. You two would make a great pair.”

“Hmm," I say, strangely liking the sound of that too much. The King of Fun and the Queen of Tricks. "I guess we would make a great pair."

Now that I think about it, I think Bunny said the same thing, long ago when I first found out about her. Although I don’t think he said great. I think he said something along the lines of “You two would be a pair made in hell. And may the Man in the Moon help us all for when you two meet”. Oh it definitely got me curious about her those decades ago, but it was a very short lived curiosity.

But now...now that curiosity is fired up again, to a much higher level than it was before. And just like my kids, I too, want to meet her so badly right now. In the past, when I was first curious about her, it was never to the point where I actually _ wanted _to meet her. I liked the thought of meeting her, but was okay with not. Now I am not okay. We _need_ to finally and properly be introduced. 

I mean, after all, she is one of Mother Nature's employees, a fellow coworker of mine. Our seasons are right next to each other, they make up the best months of the year. An introduction is _long _overdue.

I don’t know why my curiosity about her is more intense this time than before, but perhaps it’s because of the intense curiosity and desire of my believers that is influencing me. I mean, Jamie is right! I’m the King of Fun and if she’s the Queen of Tricks then it’s such a shame we haven’t met long ago.

I wonder if she used to be close with Pitch. After all, Fear and Halloween? They go hand in hand with one another. Pitch never mentioned her at all though, and he seemed like a really lonely guy. If he and her were close then he wouldn’t have been lonely. Hell, he probably wouldn’t have tried to take over the world. Maybe he got greedy, made his plan, she wasn’t up for it, they fought, and then that just fuels his hatred and determination.

Without the truth, anything imagined is possible of being the real deal.

Which makes it all the more reason to meet her.


	3. Chapter 3

**~Jack~**

I leave the kids by the time the sun starts to set, and when I make it back to the Pole, the sun is shining brightly on the snow and ice that surrounds North’s home. My home. Earlier, I had planned one messing with Phil by leaving “the door open” which would result in a shit ton of snow for him and the other Yetis to shovel out, but because of my burning questions, I didn’t have time to mess around.

“North!” I call out to him as soon as I make it to his office door. I didn’t bother knocking, I threw it open, making it hit against the wall with a loud bang, and made myself welcome, which startled the old man so much that I catch him jumping in his seat and dropping his little ice carving.

“Jack!” He snapped, annoyed as he picked up the broken pieces.

“Sorry,” I say, wincing as I helped him pick up the other pieces. “Didn’t mean to startle you. I figured you heard me shout your name. Are you busy right now?” Obviously he’s not, but I’ve been working on this thing called ‘politeness’.

North sighs, and that’s when I take a good look at him. He looks...exhausted. “No, I’m not busy. Is there something you need?”

He sets the shattered ice on the table and I put the pieces I had next to them. “There is actually. Do you by any chance know where I can find Eve Hallows?”

“Eve Hallows?” North repeats, eyes wide in confusion. “Why on earth do you want to find Eve for?”

“Well for one,” I walk over to the other side of the table and sit down in the chair across from him. “Jamie and others want to meet her and what they wish is my command.”

North laughs, looking like his normal jolly self. “You’re not a genie, Jack.”

Shrugging, I lean back and put my feet on the table. “I could be though. Secondly, I want to meet her as well. We’ve never met. Not once in my immortal life. I heard about her through Bunny years ago.”

“Before or after the Blizzard of 68?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. That was the first I’ve heard of her, then I heard of her again last year when one of her helpers brought you her candy--”

“So why are you just now asking about her?” North interrupts, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes.

“Because…” I pause as I closely watch him. “Hey are you okay? You look tired. I can leave if you--”

“No, no,” he interrupts again, and leans forward so his elbows are resting against the table, looking as though he’s giving me his full attention. “Do go on.”

“Um...okay,” I reply, unsure. “Well, the reason why I’m just now asking about her is really because of the kids. I have a motive. I was curious about her before, but it was never this extreme. The kids really got me hyped up, I guess.”

Chuckling, North says: “Ah yes. Kids tend to do that. Unfortunately, I don’t know where she dwells at. She’s always been secretive. She’s very mysterious, you see. I could always write her a letter. If there’s one snowy animal that I own that can get to her, it’s definitely a Snow Owl. It’s worked before, surely it’ll work again.”

“You’ve written to her before?” I ask, getting to my feet when he did.

“Yes. When Halloween started to become popular, I thought it would be nice to write to her, wishing her the best of luck and all that.” He answers as he walks over to a shelf, grabs a piece of paper from the stack, and sits back down.

I stayed standing, hovering over him as he prepared his quill pen and positions his hand on the paper. However, he wasn’t writing. That’s when I noticed he was looking at me. “What?”

North gestures to the door and says, “If you want me to write a letter that she’ll take seriously, you better get out so I can focus.”

My brows narrow in confusion. “What do you mean a letter she’ll take seriously?”

North smirks. “I know Eve, Jack. She’s not going to meet you if I tell her that’s what _ you _ want. I’ll need to be very persuasive. Very informative. It needs to sound worthy enough. It might as well sound like it was my idea. But I need you to leave so I can focus.”

I groan in frustration. “Uuuggghhh. Fine. Just don’t write anything embarrassing about me.”

“Don’t tempt me.”

We both chuckled at that and I take it as my cue to leave, secretly worried that he would indeed embarrass me.

What’s funny is that, if I were him, I’d do the same.

**~Some Time Later: Eve’s POV~**

I wake up to someone pawing at my face, and while I am aware of all the furry creatures I have, only one of them is brave enough to wake me. “Go away, Adam,” I say to one of my many black cats, who I felt sitting on my chest. “You’re disturbing my sleep.”

“But Eve,” says the kitten, “you have a visitor.”

A visitor? Who? A wandering ghost perhaps? Ugh it’s too early for this.

I sigh in annoyance at this visitor and open my eyes, connecting with the one orange and one green eyes of Adam. “Hello,” he says, happily, and I couldn’t help but smile. I love all my cats (and other creatures) equally, but I have one hell of a soft spot for Adam. Every generation of bats, rats, cats, owls, ravens, spiders, frogs, snakes, and wolves has a favorite.

“Hello, Adam,” I reply back before rubbing the two hours of sleep I had away from my eyes. I went to bed at the crack of dawn. It must be around 8 in the morning right now. “So who is this visitor?”

“An owl. She comes with a letter from that Sandy guy.”

“Sandy?” I repeat, confused. “Why would the Sandman write me a letter? Whenever we talk it’s through dreams.”

Now Adam looks confused. “Sandman? No I’m talking about that Sandy Claws guy.”

I laugh at the realization. “Oh Adam,” I pick him up and cradle him in my arms like a baby. “I think you mean _ Santa Clause. _” I scratch under his chin and down his neck, causing my favorite kitten to purr.

“Yeah,” he says in the middle of purring. “That guy.”

“Well,” I say as I throw my legs over my bed, which is really a lidless coffin. “Let’s go greet North’s owl. It’s been a while since North has written to me.” When my body is out of the coffin, my bare feet exposed to the cold floor, I extend a hand out to my scythe, which rested against the wall next to my bedroom door.

The scythe flew into my hand and, as soon as I had it in my grasp, it transformed into my flying broom. I sat on it sideways instead of my normal straddling, looking like one of those girls who ride their horses the way a girl is “supposed to”. 

“You ready for some early morning sickness?” I ask Adam as I place him in my lap and wrap a protective arm around him, hugging him close to me like a seatbelt.

Adam cheers. “Yes, yes, yes! Bring on the speed!”

“Okay,” I say, giggling at his excitement. “Hang on.”

And we take off.

Truthfully, it wasn’t _ fast- _fast, I had to be careful with him after all, but Adam thought it was the fastest ride downstairs ever.

“Whoa!” He says when I stop the broom at the end of the stairs. “That was totally wicked!”

I laugh before jumping off the broom and sat him down on the floor. “Silly kitty. Now,” I change my broom to a scythe and throw it around my shoulders, my arms twirling around it, stretching out my muscles, which felt oh so good. “Where is this owl?”

“She’s outside with the other owls in the cemetery,” Adam answers as he walks towards the door. 

I open it, letting him go out first, then close it behind me. “We should have gone to the back door then. Shall we ride on the broom again?”

My kitten giggles. “Nah it’s not far. You need your exercise too.”

I gently shoved him with my bare foot. “Hey! Are you calling me fat?”

Adam giggles again. “No! You’re purrrfect just the way you are.” If life was like an anime, his eyes would have either hearts or stars in them. But his eyes did have a twinkle of admiration in them.

“Aww,” I cooed, “are you crushing on me? I think Wicca might get jealous. She likes you, ya know?” Wicca is another black kitten from a different litter, born a week after Adam and his siblings.

Adam’s face changes to irritation and he hisses, baring his cute, but deadly sharp fangs. “No she doesn’t. She’s my best friend.”

“That’s how a lot of love stories start,” I remind him, but instantly regret it when I see his smug face. “What?”

“How would you know that, Eve?” he says. “Are you secretly reading romance novels? Mary’s been telling us how lonely you are in the romance department.”

I’m definitely not reading such things, but his assumption made me blush. God, if Mary were here, she’d take my blush as a sign of truth and go on a whole rant about how she was ‘right’ about me being romantically lonely. Ha! As if. If she were also here, I’d banish her somewhere for telling everyone that ridiculous idea.

“Mary’s a damn liar,” I say, hmphing in annoyance. “And I am so not reading romance novels. I’m all about Stephen King and his horrors.”

At that moment, we make it to the cemetery, which is where the conversation ended as our eyes locked onto the snowy white owl perched on top of Mary’s tombstone. The old ghostly woman was talking the poor owl’s ear off while the other owls sat nearby and listened.

“I hope I’m not interrupting,” I say as I made my way down the hill toward them. The mansion is set in the middle of a meadow, while the cemetery is behind it, down the hill. Stones of all shapes and sizes are placed here and there between the trees. No bodies (that I’m aware of) are buried since a lot of the ghosts’ bodies have already rotten away somewhere, but they all wanted a tombstone to have some kind of memorabilia, and it was a wish I simply couldn’t refuse.

A head suddenly pops up from the grave next to Mary’s. “Oh thank god you’re here, Eve!” It was her husband, Joseph, which cracks me up because of the whole Mary, Joseph, and Jesus thing. It was actually Joseph, who we all call Joe, who made the connection when he first met Mary and I. It was literally his pickup line.

_ You’re Mary. I’m Joseph. Let’s make Jesus. _

Which resulted in the old, but still very charismatic stud to get a scolding from Mary.

_ For one, we’re dead. We’re ghosts. We can’t make a baby, and even if we could we’re both in our 70s, 80s, whatever the fuck it is. Second, Joseph didn’t plant his seed in Mary, you dumb twit! It was God who did it through his Godly power! The same God who you and I both refuse to meet because we’re not done with Earth yet. So instead of embarrassing yourself, why don’t you tell us why you haven’t passed on? _

Yeah, Mary was very wordy in her response. She usually is because redheaded, Scottish old ladies always have more than enough words to say.

I can still remember how shocked her face had become when Joe, unfazed by her rant, took her wrinkled hand in his and said: _ I’m still here because I have never experienced love. I think I finally found my chance. Plus, I really love movies. _

It was then that I decided he was a keeper. 

Eventually, they fell in love, I officiated their wedding, and now here they are, an unknown amount of long years later, still happily and lovingly married. Now Joe’s reasons for not passing on are movies (which I know will never change) and his wife who doesn’t want to leave. I asked him once, subtracting movies from the equation, if staying on Earth when he finally found what he was looking for, love, ever bothers him. He no longer has anything keeping him grounded, and what he said to me still rings clear in my mind.

_ She doesn’t want to leave Earth, and I don’t want to leave her. I go where she goes. That’s love right there. _

The intensity of his eyes, so full of fiery love that I have never seen before, took me off guard. It left me speechless for a moment. That is until I finally snapped out of my shock and said: _ You go where she goes? You sound like a stalker. _

Yep, that’s me. Always ruining the moment.

“Will you please tell my wife to keep quiet?” Joe continues. “Being dead did not erase our need to sleep, and she seems to keep forgetting that when she runs her mouth.”

Mary glares at her husband, while I laugh. “You better shut your mouth, twit.” I laugh even more. “I’m not even talking that loud. You’re being awfully rude in front of our feathered friends.” She turned to the Snow Owl. “I am awfully sorry, my dear.”

The Snow Owl laughs and I swear it sounded like bells. _ Jingle _bells. “That’s alright.” She says. 

I remember how shocked North was when he found out I was able to communicate with animals, and how even more shocked he became when I told him that ghosts can talk and understand animals too. He had me talk to all of his reindeer. I'm still trying to convince him to change Cupid's name to mine. She doesn't need to be named after little Miss Valentine. 

Anyway, while ghosts don’t need to eat or breathe, sleep is still a necessity. They can sleep wherever they please, and Joe, ever the old fashioned soul that he is, prefers to sleep under his tombstone. Most ghosts sleep in their lifeless bodies, but since Mary, Joe, and the others only have their tombstones that I made for them, they sleep in the ground below them. Some of them sleep in the many rooms the mansion has, but those who don’t say that it’s pretty relaxing sleeping in the ground.

Do I believe them? Yes. Will I ever try it? No. I’ll sleep in a coffin buried in the ground, but I will not sleep in the ground with just...well you know..._ my body! _They may not need to breathe, but I still do. I may be a spirit as well, but I’m different from them. I’m...more alive.

“And who might you be, my pretty?” I say to the new owl, stopping right in front of her, completely ignoring the married ghosts and other owls who were perched around.

“My name is Eira, Miss,” she replies, then lifts one of her talons, showing me the white envelope, sealed with red wax, with a capital S and C engraved in it. _Santa Clause._ “I come with a letter for you. Would you like me to stay so I can return it?”

I shake my head as I take the envelope from her. “That’s fine. I’ll have one of my own winged creatures do it. Have a safe flight, Eira.” Which I now realize is Welsh for snow. Very clever North.

Eira nods, bids her goodbyes, and takes off, leaving the other owls, Mary, Joe, and Adam staring at me with curious eyes. “Oh no,” I say to them as I turn my scythe into a broom and hop on. “I am not reading this letter in front of you.” I take off after that, zooming past everyone, surely leaving a gush of wind, and open the envelope as my broom takes me to my room.

It’s been a while since North and I last sent letters to each other, so I had no idea what to expect as I unfolded the paper, but as I read his words, finishing it the moment I enter my room, I am left completely and utterly in shock.

Because apparently, my fellow Seasonal coworker, the infamous Jack Frost, wants to meet me.

And so do his believers.


	4. Chapter 4

~Jack’s POV~

Irritated. I am 100% irritated. Today is October 1st, which means it’s been 10 days since North sent his letter to Eve, and we are _ still _waiting for her damn reply. I know she got it; North’s owl returned, proving to us that she did her job. Now granted, we don’t really know for sure if Eira, the owl, actually found Eve. She could have accidentally gave it to someone else or lost it after accidentally dropping it, but North swears that Eira is the best messenger bird he has ever owned. She never fails. 

So if that’s true, that either means that Eve hasn’t opened the letter yet and forgot all about it, or she has and is deliberately ignoring us. So in Jamie’s words, I’m being left on read. Well, technically North is, but since he’s not fully invested like I am, I am taking his place at being annoyed.

“Oi, what are you doing here?” Bunny asks when he finds me sitting against one of his giant egg-shaped rocks.

I left the Pole about 30 minutes ago, seeing as there was nothing to do. It’s night time for the kids, and North was nowhere to be found when I tried looking for him, hoping he'd have any news on Eve’s reply. With boredom lurking at every corner, I stole one of North’s teleportation snow-globes and came here. I didn’t escape my boredom, Bunny’s Warren isn’t exactly as fun as the Pole, but I did find a quiet place to relax. The Yetis and Elves tend to be very loud and obnoxious. More so than me.

“Was bored and annoyed,” I answer, keeping my eyes closed while I felt the large Furry’s presence tower over me and was most likely staring down at me with his own annoyance. “So I decided to come here to be bored and relaxed.”

But really, in all honesty, there’s more to it than that.

“Also I was hoping if you knew where Eve Hallows lives.”

I open my eyes then, right as Bunny chuckles. “North mentioned that you and the kids are curious about her. Unfortunately I don’t know where she lives. I don’t exactly like her, ya know. There are, however, four places that I can think of.”

I sit up, my interest sparked. “I’m listening.”

Bunny scoffs as he picks up a wondering egg that was marching in front of his feet. “Yeah, you better be because I’m only going to say this once. The faster I tell you, the faster you’ll leave.”

“Well then,” I get to my feet and start swinging my staff around, purposely frosting a nearby flower. “You better get talking.”

~*~

Four places, two of them totally obvious. Bunny said that Eve Hallows either lives in the Celtic regions where her holiday originated, Transylvania in Romania, New Orleans in Louisiana, or Salem in Massachusetts. NOT Oregon. 

I decided that the Celtic regions should be searched last since there’s more to it that needs to be searched, but the other places shouldn’t take as long since there’s not as much territory. I'm betting all of North's elves that she lives in Transylvania. That's where Halloween thrives the most since a lot of tourists visit to see Dracula's castle in October. And while New Orleans is home to Voodooism, I can't really see her living there. Visiting for sure though. Mardis Gras is the best. I can't see her living in Salem either. Why would she live in the place where the infamous witch trials were held?

I'm still going to search though, but there’s no way I’m doing it all alone. North is going to help me. He doesn’t know it yet, but he will in just a few minutes. I mean, yeah, Christmas is approaching soon, but he has enough time to help me look for this damn girl who doesn’t know what feedback is.

“Hey Phil,” I say to the familiar Yeti who was scolding some elves. He stopped his rambling to turn to me, which caused the three elves to take off. “Where’s North?” I go on, hoping to give the stupid elves enough time to escape.

Phil puts his hands flat together, tips touching tips, palms touching palms, as he brings them to the side of his head and sways back and forth. To make it even more effective, he started to snore.

“He’s sleeping?” I say and Phil nods. “Well, looks like I got to wake him up. Thanks Phil.” I fly off after that, flying all the way up to the very top floor where his room and mine reside at. My room is right across from his, and while my door is simply covered with frost, North’s is more extreme. His door is covered with candy cane, Christmas tree, Santa hat, and snowman stickers, with a beautiful wreath hung from the center.

“Yo North!” I knock on his door, not bothering to open it since I know it’s locked. He’s been locking his door years before I arrived because the Yeti’s don’t know how to knock, and while I could care less if he got mad at me for freezing the knob and breaking it, I’d rather not piss him off when I need his help.

“North, come on wake up,” I knock harder, and reached for the knob, just in case it wasn’t locked after all, and to my surprise...it wasn’t.

That’s strange. He never leaves it unlocked. I slowly slide open the door and saw a sight that left me surprised once more. North is asleep in his bed, just as Phil had said, but his face is twisted in pain, and the little grunts that just escaped from his mouth, followed by a whispered “No”, told me he isn’t having pleasant dreams.

He’s having a nightmare.

“North?” I say as I quickly dash to his side. As soon as I approach him he cries out in pain.

“N-No!” He shouts as his body begins to squirm. “Stop it! No!”

I grab hold of his shoulders and start to shake him awake. His squirming became more violent, as did his grunts and cries and exclamations of no, and no matter how hard I tried to shake him awake, he just wouldn’t wake up. I don’t know how long it lasted, but eventually I got fed up with annoyance and...fear.

So I slap him.

And it worked.

North jumped upright, so fast that it startled me and caused me to fall back onto the floor, and when I glanced at him, ignoring the pain in my butt, I see that his face is glistening with sweat as he pants hard. “Jesus Christ,” I say as I get to my feet, “that must have been one hell of a nightmare. Are you okay?”

Confusion lights his face when he sees me. “Jack? What are you doing here?”

“I came to ask for your help on something,” I answer, “but I find you in the middle of a nightmare and had to slap you awake.”

North’s hand reaches up to his cheek that I slapped. “No wonder my face stings.” He then laughs, which blows my mind away.

“Really? You’re laughing?” I say in disbelief. “You just had what looked to be one hell of a scary dream and now you’re laughing? You’re crazy.”

He frowns at that, sadness clouding his eyes as he looks away. “I think...perhaps I am.”

Wait, what? Why would he think himself to be crazy? I was just kidding.

“North,” I say, dead serious, which I so rarely am. “I’m going to ask you again. _ Are you okay?” _

An intense moment of silence fills the air as I waited and when he finally responds, I didn’t like his answer.

“No.”

And then he makes it worse by saying: “We need to call the others. I think Pitch Black is back.”


End file.
